Forklifts allow a user to lift and transport heavy materials for relatively short distances. Forklifts have become an indispensable piece of equipment in warehouse and manufacturing facilities for its operative ease and convenience. Forklift trucks generally must be short and maneuverable in narrow spaces. In such front end forklifts, the space between the front end lift structure and the rear box structure is tight and the rear box structure generally extends over the full width of the fork lift and accommodates the batteries and/or other drive components. The rear box structure also serves as a counterweight to the front end lift structure. An operator seat is also generally mounted rigidly onto the cover of the rear box structure.
This type of forklift design prevents a person restricted to a wheelchair from operating such a device. Many people are disabled and as a result of their handicap, are confined to wheelchairs. Particularly, people who have suffered from the loss of a leg may require the use of a wheelchair for transportation. These handicapped individuals are generally unable to perform labor requiring operation of heavy machinery, such as forklifts. Further, workers that typically operate heavy machinery but are temporarily injured are unable to operate the heavy machinery during their recovery period. Thus, a forklift device that is operable by a handicapped individual is desired.
Devices are known in the prior art that relate to forklift assemblies. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to forklifts having specific seating configurations or having platforms on which the operator can stand. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Some patents provide a forklift with an operator station that includes seat assemblies that allow an operator to sit, stand or perch, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,964, U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,864, U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,798, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,860. Other patents provide a forklift with a fixed operator platform, including U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2007/0207023 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,798.
These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. Devices in the prior art fail to provide a forklift assemblies that are capable of supporting and securing a wheelchair thereon, and operable by a single lever. The present invention provides a forklift assembly having an operator station with a flat platform portion that is configured to support a wheelchair thereon, and a ramp hingably connected to the flat platform portion to allow a wheelchair to enter and exit the flat platform portion.
In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing forklift assemblies devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.